Many people have the same fitness goal, to lose weight. Unfortunately, the types of foods we eat and how much of it is what stops people from dropping the pounds they want. Fast food and sugary drinks like soda or juice are constantly thrown in front of us through advertising and with easy access in stores. In order to lose weight, you must exert more energy throughout the day then the food you take in.
Eating foods with high calories and low nutrients is often the reason why people struggle with keeping weight off. High-energy dense foods like french fries, fried chicken, and refined sweets are examples of these. Fast food or highly processed foods like ready-to-eat meals, cheeseburgers, frozen pizza, and specific protein bars will help with your hunger, but do not bring the same nutrients that whole-foods will bring you. Veggies like carrots, celery, and broccoli are great for your digestive system and will provide more vitamins and minerals than grabbing a bag of potato chips. Potato chips have way more calories, more fat, and are less healthy for your body. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, pears, grapes, and kiwi are delicious foods that I love to eat when I am looking for something quick and light. If you have trouble swapping out junk food for healthier options, try holding yourself to a higher accountability.
A very simply way to track the food you eat on a daily basis is by keeping a diary, notebook, or downloading an app like MyFitnessPal. I also recommend talking about your goals out loud. There is nothing like having your friends check-in on you to ask how things are going. I love talking with people about their goals and the routines because you never know what you can learn by opening up. Have you ever thought about how most of the time we sit around or party on the weekends? Use that time to work out rather than to sleep or watch your favorite tv show(s). Exercising in the morning or right after work is a way you can hold yourself accountable by getting it out of the way and being able to relax for the rest of the day. These are some of the tools I use in my every day life in order to stay on track. If you haven’t tried any of these and are looking for new ideas, give them a shot! There is no harm in trying something different to see what works best for you.
